Japan's Day
by Fire Bear1
Summary: It is the 11th of February and, for Japan, it is a special day which he hopes will be peaceful and quiet...


****_**I became an admin on a Facebook page and they decided to do a Secret Santa. But, since it was quite a recent thing, I haven't gotten to know them all well... So I just centred a story around Japan, the admin I got. But it's not very Christmassy... ^^" **_

* * *

Japan looked at the calendar. He had been quite busy for the past few weeks and had quite forgotten that it was _that_ time of year again. The time for kenkoku kinenbi, February the 11th. National Founder's Day; his birthday.

_As I have a few days off, I would like to spend them quietly and peacefully,_ he thought to himself as he made his way to the kitchen to get a pot of tea. He boiled the water in his kettle before pouring it into the pot with the leaves. He placed the pot and a teacup on a tray and took it to where he normally sat, staring into the garden.

He placed it gently down, grunting slightly as his joints slightly stiffened in protest. Then he knelt down beside it. He poured the tea and cupped his hands around his teacup. He took a sip.

There was a loud bang as the door was thrown open. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAPAN! AHAHAHA!" yelled a loud voice.

Japan calmly turned round to look at America who was holding a huge box wrapped in a paper featuring many of the nation's favourite superheroes. Behind him was another nation whom Japan had to think carefully to figure out his name. Canada smiled at him as he stared at the younger nation. "Sorry," he said, quietly. "America insisted on a big entrance…"

Japan nodded at him but, before he could politely answer, America was dropping the huge box beside him. "Quick, Japan open my present first!"

"Etto…" said Japan, staring at it. "Hai," he said with a nod. He stood up to reach the ribbon at the top. Deftly untying the bow with a flick of his wrist, the ribbon snaked down to the floor. Before he could open the lid, however, it burst off as someone leapt upwards. The Asian nation stared at the clown who was grinning down at him. His red hair was big and there was a permanent grin on his white face. On his yellow and red jumpsuit, there was a curved "M".

"I brought people over to start more of these!" exclaimed America cheerily.

Japan just stared for a moment before turning back to America. "A… Arigato," he said with a small smile, bowing politely. "Etto… May I ask what you are doing here, America-kun?"

"I came to celebrate my cool friend's birthday, dude! What else?!" said America. "Now, where's the food?"

"Etto…" said Japan. "I am not having a party, America-kun."

America stared at the smaller man before laughing loudly. "Of course there's a party, dude – there's always a birthday party!"

"Etto, gomennasai, America-kun. I only want to have a quiet birthday so I have not organised a party."

"Quiet?!" America cried out. "Why would anyone want to have a quiet birthday! If you haven't organised it, then _I_ will!" And with that, he rushed back out of the door. Japan stared after him, a worried expression on his face. He hoped that the young nation wouldn't get too carried away.

"I'm sorry, Japan," said a small voice which caused Japan to jerk round, ready to strike the intruder. He realised quickly that it was Canada, who had been left behind by his brother. He held out a small box. "Happy birthday."

Japan smiled at him a little, taking the box. Taking off the lid, he looked inside to find a small bottle of maple syrup. "Etto…"

"I thought I could make you pancakes," said the younger nation, hugging his pet bear who had crawled into his arms. "Would you like some just now?"

"Etto… No, I am fine. Arigato."

Canada nodded. "Let me know when you want some and I'll come over to make them. Oh; here." He handed Japan a small stick, a flag attached to it. Japan unrolled it to discover Canada's maple leaf.

Japan glanced up at him and bowed slightly. "Arigato," he repeated. Canada also bowed his head slightly before walking to the door.

"I'll leave you alone now," he said as he disappeared.

Japan glanced at the clown who was hovering, still grinning. "You can leave if you wish, too," he said, politely. The clown nodded and also left. Japan sighed in relief. He was alone once again. He made his way back to the kitchen to put away the maple syrup and returned to his still steaming cup of tea. He knelt down and lifted the cup to his lips. He froze as he spotted movement in his garden. Concerned, he leaned towards his katana which was close by for this sort of situation.

"You do not need to d'at, da?" said a familiar voice, quite close. Japan looked round to find Russia staring at him closely.

"R-Russia-san," said Japan. "What brings you here?"

"I have brought you a present," he said, gesturing into the garden. Three rather large bouquets of sunflowers suddenly appeared and staggered towards them. Placing them at his feet, the three Baltics bowed to the Asian.

"Sveiki, Japan," said Lithuania. "We… agreed to help Russia with his present to you. Su gimtadieniu!"

"Palju õnne sünnipäevaks!" said Estonia.

"D- Daudz laimes dzimšanas dienā!" said Latvia, rather nervously.

"Arigato," said Japan, relaxing somewhat. He looked at the sunflowers, wondering where on Earth he would put them.

"If you would become one with me, I would give better present," said Russia, smiling at him, cheerfully. Japan suppressed a shiver but said nothing. Russia watched him for a while before saying, "S Dnem Rozhdeniya!"

Japan bowed his head slightly. "Arigato, Russia-san. You are very kind."

Russia nodded. "I leave now, da? Prikhoditʹ, vy tri," he added to the Baltics who nodded and followed him back out of the house.

Japan watched them. Once they had gone, he wondered how they had all gotten into the garden in the first place. He shivered and decided it was best not to know the answer…

He looked at the flowers which had been left in their place. Deciding that he would tidy them up after he had finished his tea, he stayed where he was, sipping at the hot liquid. A breeze started up, rustling the bushes and plants in the garden. The petals of the sunflowers shifted and Japan's hair tickled at his neck as it was blown around.

"Jaaaapaaaaan, daze!" The voice came from outside and Japan braced himself for the appearance of his family. Sure enough, the door was thrown open and Japan suddenly found a pair of arms flung around him as South Korea hugged him from behind. Japan cringed and frowned.

"Let him go, aru. We can't talk to him if you're clinging to him like that, aru." Korea let Japan go and he rose to greet him, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand and Vietnam. Once he had, Korea hugged him again.

"Saeng-il chughahabnida!" he said, grinning, his curl bouncing around as he happily tightened his grip on Japan. Japan just cringed before letting Taiwan drag him away from the clingy country.

Taiwan, herself, hugged Japan, too but let go after an appropriate amount of time. "Sheng ri kuai le," she said with a smile.

"Suksan wan gert," said Thailand.

"Chúc mừng sinh nhật," said Vietnam, a smile directed at Japan.

"Sàangyaht faailohk," said Macau, also smiling. Hong Kong said the same with a nod, his expression blank.

"Zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè," said China, beaming at Japan.

"Arigato, mina-san," Japan replied. "It is nice of you to visit."

"Shì, of course, aru," said China. "We would not miss your birthday, aru. We have presents, too, aru!" He handed over a small bag which Japan opened and stared in at the small cuddly cat with a mouth; it looked suspiciously familiar. "Isn't it cute, aru?" said China, cheerily.

"Etto… China-san… I have told you before about copyri-" But Japan never finished what he was saying for, suddenly, South Korea was hugging him again.

"My present is a long hug, daze!" he exclaimed, grinning and gripping Japan tighter. Japan squirmed again, glancing at Taiwan. The girl giggled behind her sleeve for a moment before tugging at Korea.

"Let's set up for the family dinner at Teacher's house!" she said excitedly before hurrying away, tugging on his arm. The others gave various agreements and said they would help. Japan looked after them worriedly.

"What are you saying, aru?! _My_ house, aru?!" exclaimed China rushing after them in an attempt to stop his house from being turned upside down.

Japan blinked in the quiet which followed. Sighing, he knelt back down and reached for his cup only to realise that the tea was now lukewarm. He sighed and gathered up the flowers and the small bag and placed them on the tray. He carried them to the kitchen and placed them down. As he searched for a vase to keep the flowers, he thought he heard a distant noise of a door opening. Then there came the distant sound of voices. Deciding to investigate, he left the kitchen and walked along the hall.

Standing at the front door was France who was holding a large bouquet of roses. He smiled at Japan. "Bonjour, mon ami!" he said. "Bonne anniversaire!" The Frenchman handed over the flowers and Japan took them with a slight blush.

"Arigato," he said once again. He paused before adding, "Would you like something to drink?"

He had barely gotten the words out when Prussia appeared from a room, throwing an arm around the smaller nation. "Guten tag, Japan!" he exclaimed, cheerily. "I have a present for you, too! Vould you like to see it?" Without waiting for a reply, he shoved a little box into the Asian's hand. Japan looked at it for a moment before remembering his manners.

"Arigato," he said before opening it. Inside were some chocolates. When he looked closely, they seemed to be shaped as beer mugs. "Etto… It is very kind of you, Prussia-san."

"You are very velcome, Japan!" exclaimed Prussia, beaming at him. "Spain and Romano are here, too."

And with that, Spain and Romano emerged from another room, Romano grumpily dragging his feet and Spain looking as cheerful as ever. "Hola, Japan!" said the Spaniard. "Feliz cumpleaños!" He looked to the Italian. "Your turn, Romano!"

Romano grumbled at him. "This is your fault-a, you damn bastardo! I didn't even-a want to be-a here!" He glared at Japan. "Buon compleanno," he told him, his tone irritated.

"Lo siento, Japan," said Spain, pulling a face. "I'm afraid I don't have any money at the moment. So, have this basket of tomatoes as a present!" He pulled a large basked filled to the brim with the red fruit out of the room they had been in. This elicited a cry of anger from Romano.

"Visibile bastardo!" he shouted at Spain. "You said-a they-a were mine!"

Japan struggled to look happy with their visit. All he really wanted to do right now was huddle under the kotatsu and have another cup of tea. France seemed to sense his unrest because he gave a little cough to get his friends' attention.

"Mon chers, I believe we should leave Monsieur Japan to his day. I am sure he has somezink planned for his special day."

Japan nodded a thank you to France as the others grumbled and started to shuffle to the door. It was at this point that there was a knock at the door. Frowning, Japan moved forward, handing his presents to France to hold for the moment, opening the door cautiously.

On the other side was a red-faced England. "H-Hello," he said, nervously. "I-I was just passing by and thought you'd like these flowers I happened to have." He held a small bouquet which consisted of a yellow chrysanthemum and many sakura flowers. Japan smiled at him while England blushed. "I-I… It's not like I went out and bought them… I just… Here…" He pushed them into the Asian's hands. "H-Happy birthday," he said, blushing.

"Who is that, cher?" asked France, poking his head around the door. As soon as he saw England, the atmosphere changed and Japan suppressed a sigh.

"What is the _Frog_ doing here?!" demanded England.

"Same zing as you, Angleterre!" snapped France. "Look, I brought him a present, too! And it's bigger zan yours!" He jiggled the bouquet in front of England's face.

The Englishman seemed to get more red, glaring at the bigger bouquet. "Wh-Who cares how big it is?!" he snapped back. "Mine at least has better flowers!"

"Etto…" said Japan, trying to get their attention. He was interrupted by Romano shouting through the door.

"Hey! What's the hold-up?! You-a told us to-a leave!" He glared from England to France while he kept his distance.

"Sì," said Spain. "We can argue elsewhere." He smiled at France before squeezing past him and England and out into the mild sunshine. Prussia and Romano followed. France shrugged before handing over the presents and following his friends. He caught up with Spain and placed his arm around his fellow nation's waist. England glanced at Japan.

"Sorry, Japan," he said, grimacing. "I just can't stand him…"

Japan nodded. "I understand, England-san. It is fine. Arigato." He smiled at the fellow island nation.

England nodded and turned to go. "I'll just leave you to your celebrations," he said as he stepped away from the house and briskly walked away. Japan went into his house and closed the door. Once he had placed all the flowers in vases and put away the food items, Japan proceeded to make another pot of tea so he could sit at the kotatsu like he had been planning.

He had just placed the tray on the table when he heard a curt knock on the door. He knew exactly who it was by the knock and he found himself smiling slightly. However, he sighed as he shuffled off to answer the door. Sure enough, once he had opened the door, his eyes set upon the burly Germany.

"Ah, Ger-" Japan began before a smaller man ducked around the German.

"Ciao, Japan!" exclaimed Italy, his tone happy. "Buon compleanno!" He rushed forward and hugged him. As he threw his arms around the Asian, Japan felt something hit his back. And, when Italy backed off, Japan saw the little package in his hands, the cloth around the box tied in a knot, much like a bento box.

"Guten tag, Japan," said Germany gruffly, also holding a wrapped present. "Alles Gute zum Geburtstag."

Japan bowed politely. "Arigato. You need not have come, though."

"Ah!" exclaimed Italy. "But-a we had to! It's your birthday after all!"

"Hai…" _I was hoping for quiet, though…_ he thought. "Would you like some tea?" he asked. He moved aside so that they could enter properly.

"Yay!" cried Italy, a grin on his face. "Japan's tea is always the best!" He was about to rush in when Germany grabbed his arm. "Ve?" said Italy, confused.

"Ve only came to give you the presents, Japan. Ve vill be going now." He handed over the package. Italy, still looking confused, also handed his box to the birthday boy. Once he was holding his presents, Germany nodded at him and dragged the weakly protesting Italy away.

Japan watched them go and went inside. He was grateful for the sudden silence. However, he now felt a bit downhearted. He reached the kotatsu and sat under it. He sipped at his tea before reaching to Germany's present. Unwrapping it, he shortly found a manual on how to deal with Westerners for Japanese people. Japan smiled at the gesture.

Afterwards, he carefully untied the cloth around Italy's box. Taking off the lid, he froze, staring at what was inside in wonder. Italy had taken great care to make a bento box just for Japan – with added pasta of course. There was rice, plums, salted salmon – all of which was carefully arranged over and around the pasta. In fact, when Japan looked at it carefully, the result was that there was an image created with the salmon. The kanji for otanjōbiomedetō, the Japanese word for "happy birthday" was what it made up. Italy had clearly put a lot of care and thought into his present.

Now Japan wished dearly for Italy to be with him. Germany, too. It would be nice to properly speak with England and America, too. As he thought of America, he wondered where the younger nation had disappeared to. He decided to call him and make sure he was alright.

Just as he reached the telephone, however, it rang. Frowning slightly, he picked it up. "Moshimoshi?" he said.

"Yo, dude! Get your ass down to the local park!" The person at the other end declared and then hung up. Japan blinked, wondering what America had in store for him. He hurried off to get changed from his kimono into a suit.

Now in a suit and tie, Japan entered the nearest park to his house as a breeze blew up again, shaking the branches of the trees. Sakura petals detached themselves from the branches and were swept across Japan's path, obscuring his view for a moment. When the breeze died down and the petals fell, Japan could see why he was there.

In the middle of the small park several blankets were set up, various Japanese foods on plates holding them down. A music system was playing some relaxing Japanese tunes played on traditional Japanese instruments.

But the best sight was definitely his previous guests sitting around, wearing kimonos, waiting for him, smiling up at him. Not only were they present, but several other nations were there. Greece came forward, placing some cat ears on Japan's head. Turkey then pushed Greece out of the way before he could speak and placed a flower crown on Japan's head. Japan blushed as they struggled with each other. Germany gave a cough behind them and they calmed down enough to greet Japan properly.

"Chrónia pollá!" said Greece, quietly.

"Doğum günün kutlu olsun!" said Turkey, glaring at Greece.

Netherlands suddenly moved forward as well, handing over a bouquet of tulips. Japan smiled and bowed, blushing a little more. "Gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag," the Dutchman said.

"Yo, dude!" exclaimed America from the blankets. "Happy birthday! We decided to have a flower-viewing party! Isn't this sweet!"

Japan smiled and decided not to point out that hanami, yozakura and umemi parties did not happen at this time of the year. He bowed. "Arigato, mina-san," he said, looking round at their smiling faces. "It is good to have friends here with me on my birthday. Arigato."

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_**Everything anyone said in that was "Happy birthday!" or something to that effect. When Russia leaves, he says "Come, you three." Or as close as I could get.**_


End file.
